BRIGHTON, N.Y. — The Rochester community is mourning the loss of 92-year-old Tom Chase, who died two days ago when three teens in a stolen car crashed into his vehicle at the intersection of East Avenue and Elmwood Avenue in Brighton. It’s the first time an uninvolved person was killed in a stolen car crash in the Rochester area.

Karl LaPorta, founder of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, became friends with Chase after many years of tuning his piano since the early 2000s. Although he hasn’t seen Chase in several years, it has been an emotional time for him hearing of his friend’s tragic death.

“I considered Tom a friend and a very nice person, and I’m shocked,” LaPorta said.

Chase loved to play the piano, performing concerts for residents at the Friendly Home in Brighton. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 1954 and went on to become a piano teacher at Henderson State University in Arkansas.

LaPorta described Chase as a soft-spoken, wonderful, warm, loving person, and a great pianist. He was very giving and a humble man. Even at 92, Chase remained active and volunteered in the community.

The evening after the tragedy, LaPorta and his wife were heading home and got off the expressway on Linden Avenue. They noticed the street was blocked off going toward East Avenue due to a horrific crash that had claimed a man’s life. LaPorta never imagined that man was his friend Chase.

“It was until the next morning that I knew it was Tom. I was shocked, very sad, I was saddened and upset at the same time. It’s something that should’ve never happened. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to live out the rest of his life,” LaPorta said.

Police say the driver of the stolen Kia was on parole and had been arrested 12 times. LaPorta believes there needs to be tougher laws in New York State for the safety of all involved.

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